The new Physocarpus cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventor, Timothy D. Wood, in Grand Haven, Minn. The objective of the breeding program was to produce new Physocarpus varieties with unique foliage and powdery mildew resistance. The open pollenation resulting in this new variety was made during Summer of 2010.
The new Physocarpus ‘SMNPOTWG’ resulted from an open pollination in which seed was collected from an unnamed, unpatented proprietary seedling. Various Physocarpus were present in the field, making accurate identification of the pollen parent impossible. The new variety was identified as a potentially interesting selection in the Summer of 2013, at a commercial nursery in Grand Haven, Minn.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar ‘SMNPOTWG’ by softwood cuttings was first performed during the Summer of 2013, at commercial greenhouse in Grand Haven, Minn. Subsequent propagation has shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type in 3 successive generations.